The American wilderness holds more than just scenic views—it hides stories that defy explanation. From glowing lights above remote mountains to creatures that prowl the dark edges of campgrounds, reports of ghostly visitors, vanishing campers, and mysterious cryptids have haunted outdoor explorers for generations.

If you’re the kind of person who keeps one eye on the woods and one on the weird, you’ll appreciate this little-known slice of American high strangeness. Picture it: rural Ohio, the 1880s, a sleepy town by a creek… and something absolutely massive crawling out of a hollow sycamore tree to drag a boy away. Sounds like the setup for a Stranger Things episode, but this one came from the Rightside Up—and it's terrifyingly real. Meet this week’s cryptid oddity in Creature Feature Friday: the Crosswick Monster.

Loch Ness may have kept its most famous resident hidden yet again, but a recent large-scale expedition has uncovered intriguing new clues—and perhaps even a glimpse into how a creature like Nessie might survive. Dubbed The Quest, this four-day search from May 22 to 25 drew hundreds of monster hunters from around the world to the 23-mile-long Scottish loch. For the first time, high-tech tools like Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) were deployed below the surface in an attempt to capture clear underwater footage

Lakes are beautiful on the surface—but beneath their still waters often lie chilling secrets. For centuries, these seemingly peaceful places have been the setting for ghostly apparitions, phantom hitchhikers, and monstrous creatures that defy explanation. From women in white wandering the shorelines to serpent-like beasts slipping through the depths, haunted lakes across the world are steeped in legend, mystery, and fear. Here are five ghost-ridden lakes and five legendary lake monsters that continue to captivate—and terrify—those who dare to look beneath the surface.

You’re a mean one, Mr… Grunch? As if Louisiana didn’t already have enough going on— gators, voodoo, and hurricanes—let’s throw in a bloodsucking goat-goblin with glowing eyes. Meet today’s Creature Feature Friday: The Grunch!

Loch Ness is about to get busy again—and no, it’s not a Highland cow swim meet. The Quest is back, baby, and it's bigger, better, and blurrier than ever. From May 22 to 25, 2025, monster hunters, cryptid chasers, and casual curiosity seekers will descend on the legendary loch, hoping to glimpse the queen of elusive creatures: Nessie herself.

The following written confession was submitted via email: …When I was 18 or 19 yrs old I saw something at 1 or 2 am on Skyline Drive in Virginia, just north of the swift run entrance which is on Rt 33. I went up there during that winter night to listen to distant cb traffic in my car. If I'm not mistaken it was January or February of 1991. I had not long returned home from Ft Benning Georgia after completing basic training. I had driven 1 or 2 miles north after entering the drive and did a U turn to pull off at an overlook to listen to my Cb radio…

The following written confession was submitted via email: I’m from Washington State near Spokane, Cheney to be exact. Im 30 years old this year and this happened to me when i was a teenager. Its thickly wooded everywhere in the NW. Our family traps and hunts along with Predator abatement like coyotes, bobcats etc. One day id say around summer 2010 my brother and a close friend and i decided to go call in some coyotes near my parents property which is out of town a ways. It was mid to late afternoon which isnt ideal but we had seen a few wondering during the day earlier that week. We grabbed a  rifle and our predator call box with the rabbit wiggler and headed towards an old hay field deep in the woods….

The following written confession was submitted via email: …[Y]ears ago when I was a teenager, a small group of neighborhood boys and I were chased out of a cornfield that butted up against our subdivision. The thing (for lack of a better word) was Jet black and hunched over like an ape or some kind of beast. It was staring at us from about 20-30 feet away and practically motionless…

Valentine’s Day is all about love, romance, and maybe even kissing a few frogs—but in Loveland, Ohio, that’s not recommended. For decades, eerie reports have surfaced of bipedal, frog-like creatures lurking near the riverbanks, watching from the shadows. Are they a lost species, an ancient legend, or something even stranger? This Creature Feature dives in to the mystery of the Loveland Frogmen, cryptids that’s far more unsettling than your average fairytale prince.

The following written confession was submitted via email: …Now this was last October. I was hunting from the ground and I had 4 does run by me very spooked and then 3 of those deer ran back by me . As I was sitting there I noticed that there was what I thought was a wild hog on the ground about 50 yards away from me. As I struggled to see what it was, looking back I believe this animal was fazing into our reality….

With centuries of sightings, screams in the night, and even school closings, one famous cryptid has forever changed the landscape of the woods of New Jersey — this week’s Creature Feature Friday is none other than the Jersey Devil!

You know Bigfoot and Nessie, and Yeti and Dogman… but do you recall any of these 10 lesser-known cryptids? From the mysterious jungles of Southeast Asia to the depths of the Congo Basin, these bizarre and rare cryptids aren’t nearly as famous as their legendary counterparts, but they defy explanation all the same.

If you’ve ever been curious about cryptids or love a good mystery, then you’ve probably heard of Bigfoot. But did you know that there’s a winged relative of Bigfoot flying around the Pacific Northwest? Meet our Creature Feature Friday: Batsquatch, the mysterious winged sasquatch that has folks scratching their heads and ducking for cover.

A Smyrna man is alerting his neighbors after believing he captured a cougar on his home security camera, despite Tennessee authorities stating that such sightings are exceedingly rare.